Plea for fair trial

Tribune photo by Phil Velasquez

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich holds a news conference to talk about his coming impeachment trial. Blagojevich Friday likened the trial to a "hanging" of the 12 million people of Illinois. The governor used an Old West analogy, citing an example where a cowboy stood accused of stealing a horse. One accuser would suggest hanging the thief while another would sarcastically suggest giving the thief a fair trial, then hanging him. "Under these rules, I'm not getting a fair trial. They're just hanging me," Blagojevich said in the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago.

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich holds a news conference to talk about his coming impeachment trial. Blagojevich Friday likened the trial to a "hanging" of the 12 million people of Illinois. The governor used an Old West analogy, citing an example where a cowboy stood accused of stealing a horse. One accuser would suggest hanging the thief while another would sarcastically suggest giving the thief a fair trial, then hanging him. "Under these rules, I'm not getting a fair trial. They're just hanging me," Blagojevich said in the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago. (Tribune photo by Phil Velasquez)

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich holds a news conference to talk about his coming impeachment trial. Blagojevich Friday likened the trial to a "hanging" of the 12 million people of Illinois. The governor used an Old West analogy, citing an example where a cowboy stood accused of stealing a horse. One accuser would suggest hanging the thief while another would sarcastically suggest giving the thief a fair trial, then hanging him. "Under these rules, I'm not getting a fair trial. They're just hanging me," Blagojevich said in the James R. Thompson Center in Chicago.